Hank

Hank is a medieval English pet form of John, arriving through the Dutch diminutive Hankin, itself a derivative of the Dutch Han, which was a contracted form of Johannes, the Latin rendering of the Greek Ioannes, ultimately from the Hebrew Yohanan meaning God is gracious. The name became independently established in American English and is strongly associated with frontier and working-class culture, as well as figures such as baseball legend Hank Aaron and the country musician Hank Williams. It is occasionally used as a short form of Henry as well, though that connection is informal. Related names include Jack and Hal, which arose through similar medieval English nicknaming patterns from Johannes and Henricus respectively.